Gorou Rokurou
Gorou Rokurou (五郎六郎, Rokurou Gorou) is a swordsman originating from and also a resident of the village Kirigakure in the Land of Water. He serves as a wandering mercenary, trekking from land to land in search of people to take up his services. Due to his preferred method of combat - the mirroring of opponent's attacks and movements - he has earned the moniker of "The Living Sharingan" (生活万華鏡, Seikatsu Mangekyō), much to his own disdain and chagrin. Appearance Being seventeen years of age, Gorou holds the appearance of a young man. His figure is average, though he himself considers it to be on the slender side. However, his limbs are slightly muscular, a result of training through his father. He has short, black hair that is slightly unkempt. His attire consists of various types of clothing, but he is most commonly seen with his "mercenary" outfit (a hakama and kosode combination of black color), or a red kosode with gray shorts, long socks, and sandals of the common samurai. In either case, his katana is carried on the left side of his waist. His face almost always exhibits a look of nihilistic serenity, dull and almost devoid of emotion. Personality Generally, Gorou is a quiet, reserved, polite, and an obedient man, doing his best in order to follow the law of society. He usually stays to himself, preferring solitude over big and small crowds of people. The reason for this is due to the lesser noise of being alone rather than with someone else. He is willing, though, to speak if spoken to by someone else (if he is in a good mood at the moment). Whenever he does speak, he has a sense of humor, though in the mostly sarcastic and witty sense. On rare occassions, he will become a bit hyperactive in order for a decent laugh. He is also a patient man, willing to keep himself retained even in the face of agitating and antagonizing behavior. When he does allow himself to express his anger, he can take on quite a vicious and infuriated tone. Even then, he can keep his emotions restrained in order to avoid escalation into something worse. He does not allow himself to resort to fighting in any manner except when he is forced to do so, and even then expresses disdain, frustration, and anger at being made to raise his sword against another. During his mercenary runs, Gorou is nothing but calculating and near-emotionless killing machine. He does not display arrogance, nor does he display enjoyment of the fight whatsoever. He will look for ways to finish his fight quickly, either by slaying the opponent, or retreating to a distance where his enemy cannot harm him. He holds some form of honor, unwilling to fight an unarmed opponent or kill an innocent bystander in his wake. The only signs of emotion that can be displayed from him while he is in "merc mode" are that of on his face. As fights progress and drag on, he will show signs of determination, irritation, and exhaustion. Very rarely does he ever speak in combat, only doing so when the opponent speaks to him in a conversational manner. Sometimes, he will question his opponent if they are doing something odd or unique. However, he cannot retain this composure under pain, in which he will react sensitively to. History In his childhood days, Gorou lived a rather normal life in the village of Kirigakure. He was much more open and cheerful - a "class clown" in most cases. He had been spending most of his child life under the shadow of his mother, while his father had long since divorced. Notably, he was a very studious child, eager to learn something everyday. As such, he was almost always seen with some sort of education in his hand - a book, a paper & pencil, a notebook... all of this showed his acceptance of mental adaptation. As he grew, however, his studies seemed to grow even more intense. He began to see less and less of the positivity in the world, growing more and more pessimistic. In the conflicts with Akatsuki, as well as the Great Wars, Gorou immediately lost faith in humanity. When he was old enough, he left his home, but not before sharing a sad good-bye to his elderly mother. Leaving her in the care of the relatives in Kirigakure, he began his journey as a wanderer seeking a role in the world. At some point in his travels, Gorou stumbled across a dojo practice session that was in progress. Out of curiosity, he allowed himself to observe the students' movements. Immediately, he was interested due to the show of discipline and purity in their styles, and out of concern that there would be ones that would attack him, desired to join them. After the session was over, he approached the teacher of the dojo and requested to train. Glad to see such eagerness in the lessons, the teacher agreed to accept him. At first, the training seemed quite difficult and nearly impossible. Gorou himself was on the verge of giving up, and would have if it had not been for the counsel of his teacher. Pressing on, he continued to push himself further and further, becoming stronger in the sword arts. It would be put to the test one night. That night, raiding bandits assaulted the dojo, taking much of the students by surprise. Many of them had been killed, and only a few aside from Gorou and the teacher. However, in the assault, the bandits had been severely weakened by the ones that had been able to fight in time. In the final phase of the attack, teacher and students fought together to drive the bandits of. As Gorou fought, one student seemed to note that his movements weren't that of the kendō art that he had been taught, but rather a more aggressive version of the bandits' way of fighting. This would be the first instance that his reason for being nicknamed Seikatsu Mangekyo would rise to the surface, though it would not be some time before he would be actually called that. After the bandits were driven, Gorou decided to leave and continue his travels the next day, but not before thanking his teacher and fellow students. He would continue on to become a mercenary for hire, in order to make a living for himself. Synopsis *Confrontation on the Crossroads (GSWW, INVITE); Archie and Tenny....and Lavi Abilities Gorou, unlike most fighters of his time, is one of the few warriors that does not utilize shinobi jutsu. Instead, he relies solely on his own physical build as well as his swordsmanship skill in order for combat. When put to good use, he can prove to be a severe threat to his enemies as much as he is a formidable opponent. He is a tenacious, disciplined, and ferocious combatant when in the heat of battle, his restraint on his emotions allowing more freedom in his actions. After his fight with Ryun Mazuka, Ryun had mentally remarked that no one had pushed him to the limit Gorou had "since he was with Seireitou". Considering that both Ryun and Seireitou were both two of the four Yonnin, such a thought is a testament to Gorou's overall skill.Confrontation on the Crossroads (GSWW, INVITE) Kenjutsu Gorou's skill with the sword can be considered that of the master level. Though he is unable to pick up kills as easily as one might be able to, his form of fighting makes him a very formidable opponent. His speed, strength, and accuracy in his swordplay can even combat forms of ninjutsu, giving him versatility in combat. His own original sword form and stance is disciplined, requiring no acrobatics other than the flicks and twists of his wrists. This allows him to virtually stay in one spot while still maintaining defensive and offensive positions. He also focuses on dodging attacks rather than blocking them in order to force the enemy to expose themselves even more, allowing for a swift and lethal counter-attack. There is also a trait depending on whether one or two hands is on his sword in order to swing; one hand emphasizes and enhances the speed of his attacks, allowing him to fight with terrifying quickness. When he uses both hands, his swings enhance in power, capable of creating powerful wind bursts. To where even this powerful style fails, he can also use the opponent's own moves and style against them simply by observance and mimicry. This allows him to use their own strength and speed against them, allowing for a stalemate if not an outright advantage. This has given him the moniker of Seikatsu Mangekyō, though he himself disapproves of such a title. References